RAHIM YAR KHAN: Efforts are being made to bring back a collection of 135 rare photographs of the Pakistan Movement leaders and workers that were allegedly stolen from Allama Iqbal Library here, during its renovation in 2019.

An official seeking anonymity told Dawn that these rare photographs were brought and displayed in the library’s auditorium in 2006 due to the personal efforts of a former tehsil nazim, Rana Iftikhar Rasool. The photographs were brought from Idara-i-Nazria Pakistan, Lahore.

He said that in 2019, during the tenure of the then Municipal Committee administrator, Jahanzeb Labar, the library was renovated, but due to substandard work, the MC forfeited the contractor’s security and stopped the payment of his dues. In reaction, the contractor allegedly took away the rare photographs, he added.

He said that the MC Sub Engineer Kamran Sharif, who was supervising the civil work at the library, failed to recover the pictures from the contractor.

The official said that despite repeated letters written by the library in charge, Chaudhry Maqbool Ahmed, to the then MC chief officer, chairman Mian Ijaz Aamir and the deputy commissioner in 2019, for the recovery of the photographs, no progress was made in this regard. However, he said that a few days ago, ex-tehsil nazim Mr Rasool again contacted the MC administrator, Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG) Irfan Anwar and Chief Officer Rana Mehmood Ahmed, and requested them to take measures for the recovery of the photographs.

The officials summoned Sub-Engineer Kamran Sharif, who assured them that he would either recover pictures from the contractor or procure their copies from the source institute in Lahore, the official said.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2025